As I stated before, every now and then on Wednesdays I will be presenting One From The Archives, an essay that I loved writing that is more than two years old, that I will re-visit and update and slightly edit.
Wait? It's Thursday? Well, your arbitrary classifications of time cannot contain me! Anyway, this is a very old essay that I wanted to re-visit because I still refer to it when thinking about why D&D, and 5e in particular, is so popular. As you see below, it's basically looking at D&D as not something that every single person might think is the best, but instead, is viewed as good enough for everyone to agree on. I've called this the Cheesecake Factory Theory of D&D. I hope you enjoy it!
....
An idea I've been noodling around with is trying to understand not just "Why 5e," but "Why 5e?" To put it more bluntly; it would seem obvious (to me, at least) that D&D has been having a cultural moment, and capturing the zeitgeist, in a way that hasn't been seen since the prior Golden Age of the late 70s and early 80s. While this is great for D&D, I think that it's also great for the TTRPG hobby in general. D&D is traditionally the 800lb gorilla in the room for the hobby, but to borrow a phrase- when D&D sneezes, the rest of the hobby catches a cold; but the rising tide of D&D tends to raise all the games by bringing in more attention, more new players, and more interest.
Moving it back to the issue of Why 5e, I think that there are a number of factors at work that contribute to this success that are exogenous to the game (such as the popularity of streaming platforms, the return of older gamers after a hiatus, a return to basics in hobbies that is also seen in the popularity of board games, and so on). I've been thinking about the factors in 5e that have made it attractive to gamers. And the more I think about it, the more I've realized that 5e exemplifies something I understood earlier in my life- The Cheesecake Factory Theory.
So, without further ado, The Cheesecake Factory Theory of D&D.
(Quick explanation for non-Americans. The Cheesecake Factory is an upscale-ish chain restaurant. It is known for having, in addition to cheesecake, an incredibly large and diverse menu with over 250 dishes from burgers to pastas to salads to steaks to pizzas to all-day breakfast to TexMex/Asian/Italian/American/Fusion Entrees)
Imagine you are going out to eat with a large group of friends.... or, if necessary, that you have friends that you can go out to eat with.
Anne loves Chinese food, and hates standard "American" fare.
Bob loves pizza, any kind of pizza, and dislikes "weird" food.
Cathy wants to get some fattening, yummy desert, and isn't too picky about the entrees; but the place has to have good desert.
Derek needs a place with a full bar, because ... Derek.
Eddie always prefers choices; it's not that he's going to order breakfast at 8pm, he just wants to know that he can.
Fran needs a place with a number of large and hearty salads, because she never got the memo that they are filled with calories.
Gary is doing keto, so he only wants steak. Just steak.
Henrietta can only go to a place that can accommodate her dietary restrictions.
Now, none of your friends would necessarily choose Cheesecake Factory as their first choice (except maybe Derek, because he hasn't been tossed out of that bar yet) ... but all of them want to go out to eat together. So the Cheesecake Factory, even though it might not be the top choice for any particular person, is by far the best choice for the group because it is agreeable to all of them! The best choice for that group of people to have a good time might be the Cheesecake Factory ... not because the food there is the best, not because it's anyone's first choice, but because it offers something for everyone, and doesn't have any dealbreakers that rules it out for anyone (for example, it can accommodate people with dietary restrictions like Henrietta).
And that, in a nutshell, is the appeal of 5e. 5e is the Cheesecake Factory of TTRPGs.
I don't mean this to be either an insult (for those of you hate chain restaurants) or a compliment (mmm, I love me some Cheesecake Factory), but just a working descriptive theory. 5e has worked so well, has been so popular, not because it is great, but because it is so perfectly acceptable. Let me go through some of the various reasons, and then, since this is already too long, let other people rubbish the theory in the comments.
1. It's D&D. This goes without saying, but it has the brand. Everyone knows what D&D is. It's practically a synonym for the TTRPG hobby - seriously, if you have a friend who still doesn't know what TTRPGs are, you can always tell them that you are "playing D&D" and they will have an idea.
2. It uses all the old tropes. The six abilities. Saving throws. Classes (including the classics). Alignment. Fireball and magic missile. It's easy to bring players back when there is a certain level of comfort. No matter what edition was the last edition you played, from OD&D to 4e, you can make the leap to 5e.
3. It's got combat, and it's got the rest. Some people love combat, some people love the other pillars. It's always amazed me that there are people that play 5e and break out the minis and the battlemaps, and others that play it with few combats that are ToTM, and everyone in between.
4. It allows for optimization, and not worrying about it. D&D has a history of optimizers and rules lawyers, and 5e can certainly enable that. On the other hand, with bounded accuracy and attunement and other rules in 5e ... there is no pressing need to optimize.
5. At any given table, players can be both really engaged and ... not so much. One of the key features of D&D that has always been appealing (and often unremarked) is that it allows players to ... um ... check out a little. Some players don't like to have to be "always on" or telling their backstories or interacting with the environment or creating new narrative hooks for the group. They just want to be there, enjoy it, and doodle and occasionally interact. Why? I don't know, but there's usually one of them in every group ... Derek. D&D's mechanics allow for players to choose options that keep them from being the center of attention, if that's what they want. If you've ever played a narrative or FKR game with a person who doesn't want to "bring it," you know how frustrating this can be. But with D&D, that person (DEREK!!!!) can just drink and play a Champion.
6. The recurring event. D&D can always work as a one-shot, but it's best as a campaign; even the published adventures (Adventure Paths) acknowledge this. That's part of the charm, as well. Sure, there are many better TTRPGs in terms of one-shots (IMO) that don't require the prep and the setup time of D&D, but D&D has the standard "go out, adventure, kill stuff, get stuff, level, repeat" that is the basic pleasure loop of TTRPGs, and means that the same group can keep coming back for the same social event.
I could keep going on, but the idea generally holds. 5e isn't the best game in any given aspect; I would argue that there are other, better TTRPGs out there for many uses (and I'd even say that in terms of pure "D&D" some people might prefer other editions, or even clones). But when it comes to disparate groups of people getting together and finding that sweet spot of play, I am envious of the way that 5e always seems to be good enough for a critical mass of people to play.
Also? It accommodates dietary restrictions. Unless you're on Keto. There might be some carbs in the PHB.
Wait? It's Thursday? Well, your arbitrary classifications of time cannot contain me! Anyway, this is a very old essay that I wanted to re-visit because I still refer to it when thinking about why D&D, and 5e in particular, is so popular. As you see below, it's basically looking at D&D as not something that every single person might think is the best, but instead, is viewed as good enough for everyone to agree on. I've called this the Cheesecake Factory Theory of D&D. I hope you enjoy it!
....
An idea I've been noodling around with is trying to understand not just "Why 5e," but "Why 5e?" To put it more bluntly; it would seem obvious (to me, at least) that D&D has been having a cultural moment, and capturing the zeitgeist, in a way that hasn't been seen since the prior Golden Age of the late 70s and early 80s. While this is great for D&D, I think that it's also great for the TTRPG hobby in general. D&D is traditionally the 800lb gorilla in the room for the hobby, but to borrow a phrase- when D&D sneezes, the rest of the hobby catches a cold; but the rising tide of D&D tends to raise all the games by bringing in more attention, more new players, and more interest.
Moving it back to the issue of Why 5e, I think that there are a number of factors at work that contribute to this success that are exogenous to the game (such as the popularity of streaming platforms, the return of older gamers after a hiatus, a return to basics in hobbies that is also seen in the popularity of board games, and so on). I've been thinking about the factors in 5e that have made it attractive to gamers. And the more I think about it, the more I've realized that 5e exemplifies something I understood earlier in my life- The Cheesecake Factory Theory.
So, without further ado, The Cheesecake Factory Theory of D&D.
(Quick explanation for non-Americans. The Cheesecake Factory is an upscale-ish chain restaurant. It is known for having, in addition to cheesecake, an incredibly large and diverse menu with over 250 dishes from burgers to pastas to salads to steaks to pizzas to all-day breakfast to TexMex/Asian/Italian/American/Fusion Entrees)
Imagine you are going out to eat with a large group of friends.... or, if necessary, that you have friends that you can go out to eat with.
Anne loves Chinese food, and hates standard "American" fare.
Bob loves pizza, any kind of pizza, and dislikes "weird" food.
Cathy wants to get some fattening, yummy desert, and isn't too picky about the entrees; but the place has to have good desert.
Derek needs a place with a full bar, because ... Derek.
Eddie always prefers choices; it's not that he's going to order breakfast at 8pm, he just wants to know that he can.
Fran needs a place with a number of large and hearty salads, because she never got the memo that they are filled with calories.
Gary is doing keto, so he only wants steak. Just steak.
Henrietta can only go to a place that can accommodate her dietary restrictions.
Now, none of your friends would necessarily choose Cheesecake Factory as their first choice (except maybe Derek, because he hasn't been tossed out of that bar yet) ... but all of them want to go out to eat together. So the Cheesecake Factory, even though it might not be the top choice for any particular person, is by far the best choice for the group because it is agreeable to all of them! The best choice for that group of people to have a good time might be the Cheesecake Factory ... not because the food there is the best, not because it's anyone's first choice, but because it offers something for everyone, and doesn't have any dealbreakers that rules it out for anyone (for example, it can accommodate people with dietary restrictions like Henrietta).
And that, in a nutshell, is the appeal of 5e. 5e is the Cheesecake Factory of TTRPGs.
I don't mean this to be either an insult (for those of you hate chain restaurants) or a compliment (mmm, I love me some Cheesecake Factory), but just a working descriptive theory. 5e has worked so well, has been so popular, not because it is great, but because it is so perfectly acceptable. Let me go through some of the various reasons, and then, since this is already too long, let other people rubbish the theory in the comments.
1. It's D&D. This goes without saying, but it has the brand. Everyone knows what D&D is. It's practically a synonym for the TTRPG hobby - seriously, if you have a friend who still doesn't know what TTRPGs are, you can always tell them that you are "playing D&D" and they will have an idea.
2. It uses all the old tropes. The six abilities. Saving throws. Classes (including the classics). Alignment. Fireball and magic missile. It's easy to bring players back when there is a certain level of comfort. No matter what edition was the last edition you played, from OD&D to 4e, you can make the leap to 5e.
3. It's got combat, and it's got the rest. Some people love combat, some people love the other pillars. It's always amazed me that there are people that play 5e and break out the minis and the battlemaps, and others that play it with few combats that are ToTM, and everyone in between.
4. It allows for optimization, and not worrying about it. D&D has a history of optimizers and rules lawyers, and 5e can certainly enable that. On the other hand, with bounded accuracy and attunement and other rules in 5e ... there is no pressing need to optimize.
5. At any given table, players can be both really engaged and ... not so much. One of the key features of D&D that has always been appealing (and often unremarked) is that it allows players to ... um ... check out a little. Some players don't like to have to be "always on" or telling their backstories or interacting with the environment or creating new narrative hooks for the group. They just want to be there, enjoy it, and doodle and occasionally interact. Why? I don't know, but there's usually one of them in every group ... Derek. D&D's mechanics allow for players to choose options that keep them from being the center of attention, if that's what they want. If you've ever played a narrative or FKR game with a person who doesn't want to "bring it," you know how frustrating this can be. But with D&D, that person (DEREK!!!!) can just drink and play a Champion.
6. The recurring event. D&D can always work as a one-shot, but it's best as a campaign; even the published adventures (Adventure Paths) acknowledge this. That's part of the charm, as well. Sure, there are many better TTRPGs in terms of one-shots (IMO) that don't require the prep and the setup time of D&D, but D&D has the standard "go out, adventure, kill stuff, get stuff, level, repeat" that is the basic pleasure loop of TTRPGs, and means that the same group can keep coming back for the same social event.
I could keep going on, but the idea generally holds. 5e isn't the best game in any given aspect; I would argue that there are other, better TTRPGs out there for many uses (and I'd even say that in terms of pure "D&D" some people might prefer other editions, or even clones). But when it comes to disparate groups of people getting together and finding that sweet spot of play, I am envious of the way that 5e always seems to be good enough for a critical mass of people to play.
Also? It accommodates dietary restrictions. Unless you're on Keto. There might be some carbs in the PHB.
